


Counterplay

by HeirsOfEmptyThrones



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Chaptered, Dreamsharing, F/M, Love Triangles, M/M, Maybe a bit of sex, Relationship Problems, Revenge, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-09 22:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3265904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeirsOfEmptyThrones/pseuds/HeirsOfEmptyThrones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Counterplay;<br/>Noun - A positive or aggressive action by the defending side.<br/>Verb - To make an opposing or positive action from a position of defence. </p>
<p>'Arthur knew Eames hated it when others gave him attention. He knew that Eames meant every word he spat out drunkenly the previous evening. That's why Lex was in the office.'</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Un.

Arthur knew Eames hated it when others gave him attention. He knew that Eames meant every word he spat out drunkenly the previous evening. That's why Lex was in the office.

She was an attractive young lady, with long ginger hair that was usually tied in a loose bun. Her eyes were a mixture of dark brown and vivid green. She was very intelligent, studying for a degree in Architecture. Arthur had found her in a cafe, doodling. She reminded him of himself when he was younger.

Arthur also knew that Eames thought the pretty girl doodling at the desk was his type. And in a way, he was right. If Arthur was interested in women, Lex would be his ideal. She was slim, curvy and stylish with an exciting intelligence about her. But he was attracted to men, and men like Eames at that.

Eames: loud, brash, opinionated. He was a drinker and a gambler, he arrived late to work with his shirt buttons undone and it drove Arthur up the wall. The state of his desk, with all its scraps of paper and coffee stains was Arthur's worst nightmare. Eames' language was overly articulate, often annoyingly so. Yet Arthur could see Eames was just like a puppy. A loveable puppy who loved nothing more than squeezing a rise out of Arthur.

When Eames arrived back at the office, a coffee cup in his hand and his satchel slung over his shoulder. His eyes instantly met Lex's, and she grinned. Arthur had to admit, she was frighteningly pretty.

"Hello," Eames said nervously, setting his cup down on his messy desk.

"Hi!" Lex replied, her grin widening. She went back to her drawing, her tongue poking from between her glossy pink lips as she focused.

Eames shot his dear Arthur a glare, storming over. He was less than impressed by this newcomer. He'd worked with almost everyone in the obscure world of dreamshare and never before had he seen this ginger girl. Newcomers on jobs bothered him. How could he trust their lack of experience? They could easily mess up the whole job.

"Isn't she pretty?" Arthur chuckled quietly so that she didn't hear him. Eames' eyes reflected anger. It was so typical of Arthur, he thought, to kiss him passionately and act like nothing ever happened. Nothing would ever break Arthur's organised mind. Not even Eames.

So how had this stranger managed? Eames looked back at her. He'd never seen Arthur with a girl before, or a man for that matter. Arthur came across as aromantic, asexual. Romantic talk made him nervous. He wasn't attracted to anyone, was he?

Eames turned back to his coworker. His smile had fallen, and his cold, emotionless Arthur face had returned. Arthur was usually frowning. If not, he appeared to be daydreaming. Eames rarely ever saw him smile, but when he did, it was a sight to behold.

Arthur cleared his throat, looking over Eames' broad shoulder to see Lex. She looked up and smiled, blushing.

"Alexis, this is Eames. He's our forger. Eames, Lex is new to Dreamshare." Arthur introduced. Eames turned to face the girl. She was pretty, yes, but like Arthur - he just felt nothing. Still, he wasn't above getting back at Arthur for playing with his feelings in such a way.

"Pleasure to meet you," Eames smiled charmingly, stepping forwards to shake hands with her. His accent was a charming, polite British noise that would make anyone swoon. It seemed to have an effect on the pretty girl. She shook his hand and blushed further.

"Alexis, or Lex." She smiled politely and let go of his hand, returning to the drawing. Eames glanced at it, and was amazed at the skill he saw on the scrap of paper. She paused, as if sensing his eyes on her work.

"What does a forger do?" She asked, glancing at Eames. "Like, Arthur is the Point Man or whatever, and Leslie said he's the Extractor, so who are you?" She spoke a lot, Eames thought.

"I forge things. Like, passports and identities," Eames glanced over at the PASIV. "Have you been under?"

She nodded. Her eyes seemed to come alive when she met his.

"Well how about I show you? I'd like to see what you can do." He suggested.

Lex stood and grinned. She followed Eames to the PASIV, eyeing Arthur as he awkwardly followed. His face was set with disapproval.

She sat in one of the office chairs, relaxing back. Arthur saw his chance, rushing forwards to help Lex with her IV. It was a fairly straight forward thing, something she could've picked up by now.

"Show Eames what you can do, I'll put five minutes on the clock." Arthur instructed.

He didn't go and help Eames. Eames didn't need it, of course, but Arthur liked helping him sleep. It was the one way he knew he could show the older man some affection, without it being thrown back in his face. He set the clock, giving the two five real minutes to play with, thus an hour down below.

Lex dropped off instantly, but Eames stayed conscious. "Are you sure you should bring rookies onto a job like this?" Eames asked. His voice was ridden with malice.

"Quite sure, Mr. Eames. She's a natural, and besides, you have to admit she's quite stunning." Arthur smiled playfully.

Eames seethed. "Of course. Just your type, isn't she?" He set his IV up and drifted off to sleep quickly, joining Lex inside her head.

The dream itself was quite remarkable. She was the dreamer, and his subconscious was filling the space she gave him. His subconscious was unremarkable and uninterested, at that point. The dreamworld was pretty simple, a busy café that reminded him of home. People were milling around on their laptops, ordering drinks and chatting with friends. Lex sat opposite him, a mug of tea wrapped in her fist. Eames smiled, this felt just like home. 

“It’s not good enough to be used on a job, it’s not flashy enough,” She started, looking around at her work. “But it’s something, isn’t it?” 

Eames took notice of her accent for the first time, without Arthur’s pretty frown to throw him off. Like him, she was English. He guessed at Luton, and smiled. 

“You’re British,” He chuckled. “Luton, am I right?” He checked, his wonky smile making her smile. 

“Of course,” She straightened her back and smirked. “But sometimes, I like to pretend I’m posher than scummy old Luton.” She stated with an accent. He laughed. 

“Well, I’m from East Sheen.” He said in his own London accent. 

She smiled, feeling a little closer to him. Arthur was lovely, yes Arthur and his organisation skills and OCD was lovely, but not quite home. Eames was British, and therefore he understood her little quirks and the way she spoke. 

He wrung his hands around his coffee cup and looked down. “I need you to elongate the building, I need a mirror to show you what I can do, ideally.” He asked. 

All of a sudden, the wall next to them started stretching, with a great rumbling sound. The blue stretched out slightly, and a great mirror with an exquisite gold frame appeared. Eames glanced in the mirror, trying to push the uncomfortable feeling of his own subconscious watching them to the back of his mind. 

“Have you been attacked before?” He asked, and she nodded, well aware of the looks she was getting. “Alright close your eyes, and don’t open them until I give the word.” He instructed. 

She shut her eyes and squirmed in excitement. Eames searched his mind, trying to find the perfect forge the one that would surprise her the most. Throughout his work in dreamshare, he’d perfected over a hundred forges, many of which he’d forgotten. Some were too specific to be reused, others were very general and would slide into any situation. He smiled, and chose to become an attractive blonde lady, with dark eyes and a seductive smile. “Open your eyes.” 

When Lex saw the girl, she was shocked. Was his ability just a vanishing act? And a crap one at that? The girl played with her blonde hair and cast seductive eyes at Lex. It made her uncomfortable, but this was probably something she could get used too. Lex stared, trying to work out what had happened and where Eames was. The projections had settled a little, and the newcomer was clearly no bother to them. 

“How about you take a look in the mirror, sweetie?” The blonde suggested. 

Lex turned to look in the mirror, and so did the blonde. She laughed when she saw Eames grinning back at her. She had admit, she was impressed. 

“Well, that’s unique.” She chuckled, turning away from the mirror to see Eames had returned to his normal self. He smiled cutely. 

Eames, unsure of what to say, glanced at his watch. “We have a while, want to take a walk?” He offered. 

Lex shrugged and stood up, tugging her jacket further over her shoulders. She followed him out the café onto the busy street. Again, it was very British. Eames could feel it, the strange atmosphere that he only ever found at home, and he’d been all over the world. There were people milling around, standing outside highstreet stores or wondering in and out. Some seemed to have a great duty to fulfill, and were rushing around like they were on fire. 

Eames and Lex walked alongside each other, taking in the serenity of the dream. For now, they were content admiring Lex’s creativity. Eames loved creativity, he loved seeing pure inspiration and creation bounce from the mind of an individual. Lex - although he was only interested to get back at Arthur for tricking him into believing they shared feelings - was a wonderful person to watch.

“Show me what you’re capable of.” He requested, shifting into the form of a young child, to humor and impress her. She smiled and took a few steps ahead, fascinated by him. His ability to just become a new person amazed her. 

The boring city scene could easily become something new entirely. She removed the cars and sent a river rushing through the road, a quiet body of water that made its way politely down the street. The projections noticed her instantly, but undeterred she carried on. A corner shop exploded, and from the rubble a brightly coloured market stall appeared, selling interesting fruits and exotic spices. 

Eames tapped her arm. “They can see you, slow it down a bit, we’ve got time.” He muttered, clinging onto her and casting his own mind dirty looks. 

She ignored him. Dying down in her dream didn’t bother her, because she knew she’d wake up, safe in the office room they’d rented. She decided the river’s full majesty was attacked by the stark grey of the concrete. The concrete became cobblestone, which looked better alongside the river. It reminded her of quaint little villages she'd visited in the north of England and country places like Wales. She produced a small step, so the river appeared to be lower than it really was. Now the projections were becoming angry, stepping towards her with dark eyes. 

“Lex, now would be the time to stop.” Eames instructed, tugging on her arm. His conscious authority seeped into his projections, and suddenly they had her. 

They both awoke at exactly the same time. Arthur was lent against the PASIV, his arms folded and eyebrows raised. 

“That’s the first time you’ve been under and have actually been able to survive.” He remarked, helping Lex remove her IV. 

Eames glanced at Arthur, slouching further into his chair. “You mean we didn’t die? They had her, they were trying to pull her apart or something.” He chuckled, grinning at the dark haired Point Man. Arthur tried to glare. He didn’t need too, he just didn’t want Eames to see how beautiful he thought he looked like that. 

“You timed out.” He replied flatly, turning away. 

Eames ripped the IV from his arm, standing up. He was still a little shaky on his feet. “Well, you’re right, she’s great. Although I much prefer your mind Arthur darling.” He tried. With no response, he carried on. "I preferred the bland, plain symmetry of yours by a long shot." He droned sarcastically. 

Arthur just rolled his eyes.


	2. Deux.

Eames was less than pleased to see that the new girl was staying. Leslie was thoroughly impressed with her work, said she'd never seen someone pick it up so quickly. Arthur was in agreement.

 

Eames decided to go in early, hoping to have some time alone with Arthur. Arthur was always there early, cleaning the PASIV or organising his desk or doing more research. He was a morning person, he loved the first light and the chill in the air. Eames, on the other hand, was not. 

“Morning.” Arthur greeted, a hint of surprise in his voice. He’d worked with Eames several times over the years, and he’d never once seen Eames arrive on time, let alone early. 

Eames just nodded and took his seat at his desk. Forgers barely do anything. They take everything the Point Man gives them, and then use to fake a person of interest to the Mark. Every now and again, Eames will have a stack of passports and certificates to make his way through. That would take up some time, but forging people was like clockwork to man of his calibre. 

A few moments of uncomfortable silence past. Arthur had been hoping he could come up to the office, spend a few real minutes or so under, just enjoying his own imagination. Arthur preferred the inside of his head, where everything he wanted, but could never have was realised. 

“Arthur,” Eames started, a question in his voice. Arthur made a noise of acknowledgement but didn’t look up. Eames took this as permission to continue. “I meant everything I said the other night, just so you know.” He busied himself on his computer, swinging nervously in his chair so as not to look at Arthur. 

Arthur flushed. So did I, he thought, but he’d never tell Eames that. Eames was a cocky little shit and Arthur wasn’t willing to give into him easily. No, Arthur wanted Eames to work for it. He wanted Eames to see him with Lex, and improve his own behaviour. There was an attraction between the two of them, but Arthur felt Eames’ bad habits outweighed the things he adored. 

“What did you say the other night? I was drunk.” Arthur asked flatly. 

Eames faltered. “You were just as drunk as I was, and I remember perfectly.” He refused to repeat himself. Soppy, romantic crap was fine when he was too far out to care, but not when he was sober. 

“That’s because you only drank half as much as you usually do. I rarely ever get as drunk as I did the other night.” Arthur explained. His poker face gave absolutely nothing away. He knew he could fool Eames into believing he was completely plastered if he worked hard enough. “What did you say, anyway?” He asked. 

Eames glanced up at him and looked away again quickly, a flush covering his clean-shaven cheeks. The change in colour drew Arthur’s attention to how tidy Eames seemed to be. He’d showered and shaved, all his buttons of his neatly pressed shirt (white, not some annoyingly gaudy colour) were done up and it was tucked in. Arthur was impressed at the effort. Maybe Lex was working already. 

“It doesn’t matter now.” Eames replied. 

Arthur settled into his office chair and scooted towards Eames’ desk. His eyes were glowing and he was grinning like an excited child. “I want to know now, it seems important.” He chuckled. 

Eames refused to look at him, engaged in a very important game of minesweeper on his computer. He took a few moments to answer. “Might complicate job,” was all he said, nibbling his thumb. Pretending to be busy was something Eames was very good at. That’s how he got through school. 

Of course it would complicate the job, it would ruin his relationship with Lex – the girl he’d been flirting with endlessly for hours – and possibly ruin her skill. Arthur raised his eyebrow and feigned surprise, he was just as good at pretending as Eames was. 

“Well, I won’t trouble you with it then, no matter how simple and straight forward this job is.” Arthur scooted away, back to his own desk. 

Another silence. Had Eames the courage to repeat what he’d said, this time might’ve been more interesting. But Eames knew Arthur would throw it back at him and make him feel awful. Arthur was excellent at throwing Eames off his stride. Instead, he avoided looking at his co-worker and placed all his focus on the game.   
***

When Lex arrived at the rented office space, the tension between them was thick in the air. She could feel the two avoiding each other, distracting themselves with pointless crap. Arthur was tidying his meticulously tidy desk, and Eames was practicing the speaking habits of his forge, which he’d perfected. 

“Hello,” She mumbled awkwardly, dropping her back down on the desk and taking a seat. Eames glanced up and grinned at her lopsidedly.   
“’Ello,” He chuckled, slipping into his usual accent involuntarily. He was comfortable enough with her that he could be himself. Arthur noted this with a smug smile. 

“We’re just waiting on Leslie, then we’ll start running through the plan.” Arthur said, casting a shy smile in Lex’s direction. Lex smiled in return, a light flush covering her cheeks. 

“How are the models coming along?” Eames asked, swivelling back and forth in his chair. 

Lex had all sorts of diagrams and drawings around her. She’d mostly finished, using what Arthur had started for her as a base to work on. It was a hotel in South Africa, where the mark visited frequently. Here, the Mark’s subconscious will fill a safe with the information they need, whilst being distracted by Eames, leading him to think of the safe. 

“I’m pretty much done, just working on the last few details.” She replied. 

“Bullshit, I did most of that.” Arthur chuckled. Lex raised a brow. “But you would never have done all that in the little time we had left.” He elaborated.

Eames saw his opportunity in the look on her face. “What Arthur dearest is trying to say is you did a great job, he’s not very good at complimenting people.” He chuckled, with the courage to meet her eyes before glancing in Arthur’s direction. 

If looks could kill, Eames was long gone. He hadn’t seen Arthur look so pissed off and angry in a long time. He grinned playfully. Arthur was right, the schedule they were working on was very tight. His interest in Alexis was too much for Eames to ignore, so he had to act on it. He was determined to prove himself better than business-like, dull Arthur. Though Arthur always found a way to stump him and make him appear a fool. 

Lex’s face lit up. “Well when Leslie gets here, I can show you how much I’ve improved your very basic design, Arthur.” She teased, winking at him. The flush that covered his face was unmistakeable, and enough to make Eames’ heart sink. 

Arthur smiled, just as Leslie rushed through the door, muttering apologises audible to no one but herself. “I’m sure whatever you’ve done will be great, Lex.” Arthur said, but he was struggling to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. 

***  
The level was just as great as Lex had promised it to be. She’d done everything she needed to: perfectly designed lobby with one hotel room upstairs including a safe. They ran through their plans several times, using a projection of the Mark as practice. Everything was in place, and they were ready. 

Back in their office space, Arthur was sat on the other side of Lex’s desk. He claimed to be helping her get her ideas onto paper, but Eames could see that wasn’t the case. His face was rather close to hers, neither of them were looking at the paper between them. Her small smile was glowing as the last of the day’s sun flowed through the huge windows. Arthur was smiling too, paying no mind to how obvious he was being, or Eames’ eyes on the back of his head. 

“Arthur, can I borrow a pen?” Eames asked, sick of seeing the two so close. He didn’t want Arthur falling for her. He wanted Arthur all to himself. Arthur spun around and stared at him blankly. Eames tried not to focus on how his feet were hooked around the chair’s legs, spreading his thighs a little. H kept his eyes firmly on Arthur’s face. 

“Sorry?” Arthur asked. 

Was he honestly so caught up in her eyes that he didn’t hear him? “Pen, please.” Eames asked again. 

“Oh, sure.” He replied, spinning back around to continue his conversation. He muttered something under his breath and she giggled childishly, the way that people do when they want you to know they’re interested. 

Eames stood and straightened his shirt. He felt like he’d wasted a crisp white shirt on today. He was exhausted. He got up early, he arrived early, he was tidy, and he was only half as annoying as usual. And yet Arthur hadn’t a single lovely thing to say to him, only sarcasm and humiliation. Eames often wondered what it was about Arthur that he was so attracted to. It wasn’t just the way his body fell into perfect shape, chiselled muscles under his shirt and waistcoat. Maybe it was his seriousness, and how Eames loved to get a rise from him. He was fascinated by his hands, the way his jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed, the way he bit his lip out of nervousness. Arthur’s body seemed to be the only attractive thing about him, but Eames could feel there was something more. 

Arthur’s desk was so neat and organised it confused Eames. There were two stacks of paper: one of their Mark and the other for Eames’ forge. These were set dead centre in the desk, perfectly aligned. Then in the left hand corner was his computer screen, the monitor under the desk somewhere. The keyboard was in alignment with the screen, the mouse mat a set distance from this. There were five pens for Eames to choose from, set out alongside the papers. They too were aligned and in equal distance apart. Then Arthur’s phone sat in the dead centre of the forge’s pile, face down. A genius idea came to mind. 

Eames chose a pen (the one in the middle, naturally) and pocketed Arthur’s phone. Quietly, he swapped the two stacks of paper over (knowing Arthur would notice, and be incapable of functioning until it was corrected) and moved the mouse mat several inches away from the keyboard. He stared at the organisation he was slowly ruining, trying to decide what to do next. He could move the screen, but he risked making too much noise. The returned the pens and messed the alignment, pushing them away from each other. Another idea crossed his mischievous mind. Enlisting the help of a pen, he gently prised the ‘g’ key from its place on the keyboard. He then moved to the ‘h’ gently picking it from its place. When it was loose, he pressed into the slot where ‘g’ had been. He was grinning like a schoolboy at his own childishness. He hurriedly placed the keys in their new homes, and shuffled back to his own desk. Arthur deserved it for ignoring him on his best behaviour. 

Lex decided she was going to leave early, stop off at a fast food restaurant and head back to her room. Arthur faked a look of disappointment and stood to walk her to the door. It was hurting him to put on such a façade just to annoy Eames, she was lovely. There was no other way of teaching him, though. He would’ve loved to confess his feelings to his favourite forger, but Arthur was too stubborn for that. He kissed her cheek quickly, pressing his hand to her side. She blushed and smiled, walking out the door. 

He turned to face Eames, who was trying his hardest to hide a look of disapproval. “She’s wonderful.” Arthur stated with a quick chuckle in his voice. Eames rolled his eyes. 

“I’m sure.” He mumbled sarcastically. 

Arthur pushed his chair back to his desk and instantly saw something was wrong. His perfect organisation that had taken him so long to create was ruined. He felt a knot form in his stomach as he stared at the destruction, the mess that had been created out of his wonderful arrangement. Sometimes, Arthur wondered why he even gave Eames the time of day. This was why he wanted Eames to grow up before considering a relationship with him. 

“Eames,” Arthur began calmly enough, yet anger was seeping through his voice. Eames turned to face him, one raised brow. He was perfectly relaxed in his chair, shoulders back and legs spread. He looked so tired. “It doesn’t matter, just… go away. Piss off.” Arthur forced himself to swallow his anger. 

Eames shrugged and stood up, stretching. His back clicked in several places, all his muscles loosening themselves. He wasn’t used to early mornings. 

“I’ll see you on the job, then.” Eames said, grabbing his jacket. 

What had started out as some harmless fun from his perspective was now becoming physically unbearable for him to watch. He knew Arthur was obsessive, he liked order and tidiness but never once did Eames consider the effect disorder had on him. He could see Arthur was holding back tears, trying to remain straight-faced. He watched as Arthur straightened his back, rolling his shoulders as he tried to calm himself. 

It was just a bit of mess, a bit of disorder, but it still ruined him. He’d spent so much time trying to create the perfect working haven. The disorder unsettled him, made something squirm deep inside him, it just looked so wrong. 

Eames couldn’t take much more of it. “Here, I’ll sort it out.” He offered. 

Arthur’s head snapped up so quickly it clicked. His mouth hung open in confusion, his brows furrowed. Eames never offered to help, he never fixed his own mess. 

Arthur sat in his chair and watched Eames’ hands as they set his pens straight, in exactly the right order. Arthur helped him get the distance right. He didn’t need to measure it, he always set his pens two centimetres apart and he’d memorised what the gap looked like. Then he fixed the mouse mat, setting it back in its rightful place. He swapped the two stacks back over, and started work on the keyboard keys he’d swapped. Then he produced Arthur’s phone from his pocket and set it squarely on the forger’s stack. 

He wasn’t going to apologise. He didn’t feel he needed too, seeing Arthur’s shoulders relax as his design came back to life. He watched Arthur’s face, admiring his chocolate eyes and the way they sparkled. The vulnerable look in his eyes could well have made Eames melt, and had circumstances been different, Eames would’ve kissed his tears away. 

Arthur nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you.” He mumbled quietly, diverting his gaze from Eames’ grey eyes to stare at the floor. He knew Eames could see his weakness: disorder. Arthur couldn’t stand it, it made him physically sick. 

“Sure, no problem.” Eames turned to leave, grabbing his own phone on the way. 

The walk back to his hotel was one of contemplation. He could see now how his behaviour affected Arthur. In a way, it made him feel guilty, for hurting such a precious thing. No one had ever shown him how he affected them, he’d always taken that his pranks and games (although annoying) were just a bit of fun. No one really felt victimised by him. Arthur’s angry scowls had never told him how much Arthur hated his behaviour. No one wonder Arthur wasn’t interested, if Eames could reduce him to tears. He wondered how many more times Arthur had broken down because of his behaviour. At least he tried to, his head was hurting. 

He fell onto his hotel bed, face first. He had to make a change if he wanted Arthur to think highly of him. If he wanted to beat Lex to it. Maybe he should leave her alone? If Arthur was seriously interested, Eames didn’t want to hurt him with his sudden interest in the Architect. Maybe she was worth a little bit of attention, to divert her attraction from Arthur.

Eames toed his shoes of his feet and pushed himself forwards, nestling his face into the pillow. He was too tired to reflect on his behaviour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me way too long to write this and it's almost one am so I haven't read through it and again I don't know what to think of it. Anyway thank you for reading


	3. Trois.

Eames awoke in the silly hours of the morning, and it was then that he decided he shouldn’t change himself just to impress Arthur. He shouldn’t have to change himself to impress anyone. He was his own person, not a perfect robot. Of course, he would make sure he never made anyone feel the way he’d made Arthur feel the previous evening, but the early mornings and uncomfortable tidiness had to go.

There was one day until the job, and Eames was looking forward to getting it over and done with. He felt as though he didn’t need to put any more practice into is forgery, he’d mastered it. A job like this wouldn’t usually take more than a week, but Lex’s naivety meant they needed to make sure she knew exactly what would happen when the job started.

Eames was going to spend the day in bed, eating too much and watching pointless crap on the TV. American TV confused him. Nothing beat the British, daytime drivel, the endless stream of game shows and soap reruns, with a bit of Jeremy Kyle here and there. Nonetheless, he was looking forward to his day without Arthur.

His phone rang at about ten, waking him up with a fright. He scrambled from his bed to the dresser on the opposite side of the room, where his phone was charging. Arthur. He groaned out loud and considered ignoring, but Arthur doesn’t call for pleasure.

“’Ello,” He greeted groggily, not bothering to exaggerate his accent as he normally would with Arthur. He heard a breathy chuckle from the other end.

“Good morning Mr. Eames, you sound wonderful!” Arthur teased. Eames groaned again. He hated Arthur’s early morning cheeriness.

“Piss off, will you? Why’d you call?” Eames asked.

“Leslie’s gone down with food poisoning which means I’ll be extracting. I need you to get your ass here and walk through with Lex so you know what you’re doing, alright?” Arthur’s tone of voice didn’t give him a choice.

Eames hung up wordlessly and set about finding clothes. He was slightly irritated to lose his day off, but at least he wouldn’t have to spend all day with Arthur. He found some comfortable blue jeans and t-shirt. He was deliberately not making any effort. His face felt uncomfortable without his usual facial hair, like a part of him was missing. It made him looked older and more sophisticated. Without it, he came across as a smartass British kid, straight from private school. That couldn't be further from the truth. 

***

Arthur and Lex had already gone under by the time Eames had arrived, with 15 minutes on the clock. Eames’ limited knowledge of maths told him they were down there for three hours. If they could stay alive, of course. Lex was trigger happy and flowed with her ideas, leading to some very pissed off projections. 

Eames set his bag on his desk and went to join the others. It was unnaturally quiet in their office, Eames was so used to the sound of Arthur doing something, or Lex talking to Leslie casually. He took a second to admire Arthur, realising it would probably be his last chance. Arthur was his opposite: scrawny, with plain skin and tidy clothes. 

Arthur’s hair was slicked back from his face as usual, but one black strand had managed to wiggle itself free whilst Arthur slept. Gently, so as not to disturb Arthur in the dreamworld, Eames pressed it back into place, smoothing it down. 

Arthur felt the lightest of touches to his head, stroking him, in a way. He thought it was a projection, but when he spun around to catch whoever it was, no one was there. He frowned and went back to his work: practicing the extraction he would have to pull off tomorrow. He wasn’t an extractor. Eames was a thief, he’d be better at this than he was. But Leslie specifically asked for him, not Eames. 

What followed the touch was definitely not from the world he was currently in. He felt a kiss press into his cheek. It was only the ghost of a touch, he was sure what his body had felt up above was more forceful but was sure he’d just been kissed. He recognised the feel of it. Only Eames could kiss like that. He tried to hide his smirk. 

His phone rang in his pocket “Alright, I’m here. What do you want me to do?” Eames’ voice asked at the other end. He sounded groggy and tired. 

“Find Lex and walk through the layer with her, make sure you know what you’re doing.” Arthur instructed, unable to hide the smile in his voice. Not that he was putting much effort into it. 

Arthur sounded unusually happy to hear his voice, in Eames’ honest opinion. No, Arthur hadn’t ever spoken to him in such a tone, one so light and playful. Apart from when he was drunk, but he couldn’t think of Arthur with three sheets to the wind. 

“What am I doing now you’re extracting?” Eames asked. 

“You do your forge, keep your eyes on Lex and make sure she doesn’t fuck it up. She’s prone to it.” Arthur replied, sitting down on the floor and crossing his legs. He could still feel Eames’ touch and wanted to take a few moments to appreciate the enchantment of it all. 

Yes – he was going against his own word, but there was nothing wrong with playing with Eames a little. Just to make sure he really wanted Arthur. Today, he fools Eames into believing he is a little interested, tomorrow the stress of the job shall completely destroy his hopes. Arthur was always stressed and pissed on jobs, and he’d be back to his normal self within a few hours. 

“Right. And you, you sure you can pull this off?” Eames’ voice put him under inquisition. 

Arthur chuckled. “Of course I can. I’m a first-rate Extractor, you know.” Arthur giggled, playing with his hair. He wanted to imagine Eames’ face as he listened, but he couldn’t risk bringing his projection into the dream. One Eames is easier to deal with than two. 

Eames let the tone of Arthur’s voice relax him. Maybe Arthur was just in a good mood, or his coffee and been unusually satisfying this morning. Whatever it was, it comforted him. Arthur didn’t want to murder him for yesterday’s horrible train of adventures that both men wanted gone from their minds. Arthur never wanted Eames to see him like that ever again. 

“I believe you could be good at many things if you put your mind to it, darling,” Eames chuckled. He heard Arthur giggle from the other end. “Listen, I’m going to find Lex. I was meaning to ask you about her, you two seem… close.” He couldn’t find any other word to describe what he’d seen the previous evening. 

“Ah, yeah,” Arthur mumbled. “I’ll see you round, there’s probably like, two hours and a bit left by now? Anyway, I’ll see you topside.” 

The line went dead before Eames could say anymore. A sudden sense of loneliness came over him, and he wondered whose head he was inside. He hoped it was Arthur, he quite liked the thought of being inside Arthur’s head. 

He set about finding Lex. Some harmless flirting wouldn’t go amiss, as she seemed to be completely head over heels for Arthur. He wasn’t sure if his good looks and sharp charm would be enough to challenge Arthur’s devilishly handsome face and razor sharp wit. 

He found her in the lobby, playing with the water from the fountain. She was like a child learning new things for the first time, realising she could step outside the things she knew and bend physics into impossible creations that could never exist topside. 

“Having fun?” Eames asked. Lex spun around and grinned lopsidedly. 

“I never understood physics in school.” She chuckled, turning back to her bizarre water creations. He sat next to her on the fountain’s edge, watching her bewildered face.

“You know you can’t do that on the job. You’ll have us killed.” Eames pointed out. She just nodded. 

“I know, that’s why I’m having my fun while I can. Anyway, shall we take a walk?” She offered, standing up and stretching. Her fascinating shapes became plain jets of water. 

Eames stood and followed her through the open, spacious lobby. She was explaining everything to him, but he knew it all already. The only change in plan was his backup, he would have Lex rather than Arthur. Which was probably for the best, as he thought about it, he and Arthur tended to squabble over minor things. 

“Got it?” She checked. Eames nodded and smiled as though he’d been listening. She glanced at her watch. “Crap, we still have ages.” She sighed. 

“We could just kill time down here. The dreams are always nicer than reality.” Eames suggested, sitting back on a couch. He noticed a coffee machine on the side. “Do the machines work?” He asked. He hadn’t had a coffee all morning. 

Lex shrugged. “Try them. If not, there’s a bar through there.” She pointed to the other side of the room, where the flooring changed and the lights dimmed. On that side of the room there was a restaurant. It amazed him how dream Architects managed to blend these styles so easily. Everything fit together, no matter how shocking the contrast between the bright, open lobby and the candle lit restaurant was.

The coffee machines did work, so Eames set about making the two of them drinks. Lex demanded anything sugary, claiming she ‘needed it’ after her tough morning of water bending. He decided to text Arthur and ask if he wanted anything. He was working harder than anyone. A moment or two later he got a reply.

‘I’m good, thanks.’ 

He pocketed his phone and sat back down next to Lex. She swung her legs up and crossed them shifting to face Eames. “Arthur alright?” She asked. 

Eames shrugged. “Presume so. He was when I spoke to him this morning.” He replied, remembering back to their earlier conversation over the phone. Arthur seemed genuinely happy for once, very calm about the twist in their job. Eames didn’t doubt that he was a good Extractor, having never seen him in action. He never doubted Arthur’s abilities, he’d learnt not to underestimate the man. 

“He’s odd, isn’t he? Like, he insists everything is in order all the time. He tidied my desk for me last night.” She chuckled. “Odd, but attractive.” 

Eames raised an eyebrow. “Arthur’s obsessions are nothing but OCD. So long as you leave him be with them, he’ll be alright.” He’d learnt that lesson last night. 

Lex took a sip of her sugary mess. “I know, but he just seems,” She sighed. “Like he’s faking it? Like he’s only pretending to be interested.” She glanced down into her lap. 

Now he was certainly interested. “Oh?” He couldn’t think of anything else to say. If Lex was able to spot Arthur’s deception skills, she must be a mind reader, because he was a notoriously great liar. He could fool Eames very easily. 

“Yeah, like he seems to be trying too hard. I don’t know. Some men are like that, I guess.” She took another sip of her drink. 

Silence had fallen between the two of them. Eames wanted to say something funny and flirtatious, but having learnt that Lex wasn’t all as interested in Arthur as he originally thought, it was probably best he laid off for a while. He finished his coffee and threw it at the bin, missing it. She laughed. He grinned at her.

“Eames, huh? What kind of name is that?” She asked. 

He chuckled. His name was a clever decoy to lure people away from his identity. All they needed to know was that he went by Eames, he was a thief and a forger, and he could be greatly intelligent, when he wants to be. 

“Some people call me Mr. Eames.” He pointed out. He smiled shyly, trying not to imagine Arthur’s voice in his head. He quite liked it when Arthur called him Mr. Eames. It sounded better on his tongue than just plain old Eames. 

Lex giggled. “Mr. Eames suits you. It’s more formal and suave, kind of how I imagined you should be.” She was slowing losing control of her giggles as she loosened up for him, allowing herself to be her own person. 

Eames raised an eyebrow at her, watching how she drew her knees up to her chest as she giggled. “Oh please, I can be whoever the Hell I want to be! That’s the great thing about forging, I can be anyone I want to be.” He looked away again in contemplation. “Say, how about we go for drinks this evening?” He offered. 

A strange, awkward expression came over her face. “Is that a good idea the night before we pull this shit off?” She asked.

“Who said we’re going to pull it off?” He teased. She raised a warning eyebrow at him. “You’ll be fine, I won’t let you get too pissed.” He reassured. 

“Of course, Mr. Eames’ definition of ‘too pissed’ is very different to what you and I may think, dear.” Arthur’s voice called out from the staircase. He was stood on the landing, leaning against the railing. His head was rested in his hands and he was smiling lazily, cute little dimples set in his cheeks.

Eames felt his cheeks heat up. He remembered back to how lax their previous conversation had been. Arthur seemed to be in a very good mood today, but Eames knew it would be gone by tomorrow. She should savour every second of Arthur’s pretty, happy face because tomorrow, Arthur’s angry scowl would be in full swing. 

“Besides, we were going to go out for dinner.” Arthur stated, slowly beginning his descent down the stairs. Eames wasn’t sure if he knew what the sight of his lean body did to him. His long legs and slim torso turned Eames to jelly inside. “Care to join us?” Arthur offered. 

“You can’t trust me not to get drunk, and we both know what happens when I get drunk around you, Arthur.” Eames was only slightly nervous, but the look Arthur gave him was one of worry. 

Eames was now convinced that Arthur remembered every word he’d thrown around leisurely that night. Arthur was playing a game with him, and he wasn’t going to lose. 

“I don’t think I do, Mr. Eames.” Arthur chuckled after a nervous pause. Eames simply smirked. 

“Oh, I think you bloody well do, darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Last exam will be today. I don't think 'I was busy writing fan fiction' is a good excuse for not revising though, and I need to prove to the teacher that I am able to speak my first language better than my second language that I struggle in (oml I hate her so much) - Christianian xo


	4. Quatre

To everyone's relief, the job passed without any problems. Lex's design worked perfectly and the Mark suspected nothing. She worked well with Eames and listened to him. She accepted that Eames was more experienced than her, and was willing to learn. Eames was surprised to see she was able to control her need to create, and was pleasantly amazed at her focus. All they had to do was lead the Mark's mind in Arthur's direction, and protect Arthur from any unruly projections. 

Arthur was extremely irritable throughout the day, from the very second he woke up that morning. He had an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach that something was going to to go wrong. He always felt like this before jobs. His awful mood carried on throughout the job, and he was thankful that he was working alone. 

They headed back to the office as soon as they came back topside. They were safer if they started running right away, so the next few hours were a mad dash to destroy all evidence of them ever being there. Then, there were back to their hotel rooms for the night and onto a flight the next morning. 

"So what's with this rush to get away, then?" She asked, adding more bits of paper into the huge box they'd collected. Arthur had someone who would come and collect it and burn it. 

"You know this isn't legal, don't you?" Eames checked. 

"Well yeah, but it’s just theft, right? Nothing too serious.” She asked.

"We’re stealing some of the most sought after secrets in the world, we work with very powerful people that hold the keys to entire empires. If we screw up, if we get caught, it’s not the police we have to worry about. The owners of these giant empires would just kill us straight away.” Arthur explained. 

“Arthur and I are always running from someone or another. After a while, they tend to lose interest if you stay out of their way long enough.” Eames added. 

“So this is it, I’m running for my life now? Fantastic.” She groaned sarcastically. 

“Arthur will run you through the security basics.” Eames said with a wave of his hand. He moved his computer to a pile of junk plastic on the floor. All this was to be melted down and destroyed. 

Arthur smiled gratefully. A few years ago, Arthur took a bullet to his shoulder and the bullet devastated his muscle. His right shoulder was growing sore, he could feel the exact spot the bullet had hit him every time he moved. Eames was one of the few people that knew of this weakness, and he was kind enough to compensate for Arthur when needed. He led Lex off to the side of the room, sitting cross-legged on a desk. She copied him. 

“You have a totem, don’t you?” Arthur checked. He’d rushed her into dreamshare without properly explaining to her how she could protect herself. She shook her head. Arthur reached into an inside breast pocket, his fingers finding his treasure loaded die. 

“This is mine, it’s loaded, and only I know exactly how it feels, the weight and the balance. No one else can touch it, because that would defeat the purpose. You should find something small that you can keep on you at all times that will tell you without any doubt if you’re dreaming.” He explained, looking at his die affectionately. 

“What does Eames use?” She asked. 

Arthur shrugged. “Never seen him with anything that could possibly be a totem, apart from poker chips.” He replied. He glanced at Eames, who had taken his jacket off and rolled his sleeves up. Arthur admired every muscle on that man’s body. “Anyway, just find something that’s unique to you and never let someone get their hands on it.” He forced his eyes away from Eames. “You’ll need an alias.” 

“So you don’t even use your real names?” She checked in disbelief. 

“Arthur is my name, I don’t know about Eames. You just need a fake identity to use when you’re running, or if you’re trying to get into a country where the government has a price on your head.” He explained, “Sometimes I go by Arthur Henderson, married lawyer, father of two boys from Alabama, no criminal record. Eames can help you get all that sorted.” 

She nodded, her eyes finding Arthur’s. She was fascinated by him. Everything about Arthur was organised and tidy, it all fit together. He was a thorough person, who often worked himself to the bone. He had relaxed slightly from the job, but Lex could see the tenseness in his shoulders and the worry in his eyes. 

“We’ve booked you a plane ticket back to England, as it’s your first job. Sometimes it’s safer to get a flight to anywhere and wait a while before going home. It’s a good way to find work.” Arthur said, breaking eye contact. “Eames is going back to London as well. You’ll travel with him.” 

Arthur stood and walked across to where Eames was. He’d managed to collect all the paper together into one big pile, and was now carefully kicking a computer across the floor. 

“Is that everything?” Arthur asked. His voice was harsh and almost threatening. He spoke to Eames differently to how he’d spoken to Lex. No real reasoning, but Eames’ was accustomed to Arthur’s temper tantrums. 

“Yeah, this is it.” Eames replied. 

“Alright, someone will be here soon to clear it up.” Arthur went over to his now empty desk and grabbed his jacket. “We better get going.” 

Lex looked up and smiled. Arthur had promised her dinner, but he seemed too worried about getting out of the city than taking her out to dinner. If he did decide to ditch her, she knew Eames would be more than willing. She wanted to spend more time with the both of them. From the experience she’d had so far, she’d worked out that Arthur and Eames don’t always work together. They both just agreed to do Leslie’s job. 

Arthur looked directly at her, squinting slightly, as though he was trying to remember something. Then he grinned. “Oh, yeah, I’ve booked us a table somewhere. Meet me in the lobby at like, seven?” He suggested. 

She shrugged. “Sure. See you then.” She smiled sweetly as he left. 

Eames turned to stare at her, a look of surprise on his face. He seemed faintly amused, in her opinion. Really, he was just shocked that Arthur, Arthur the stick in the mud, had managed to bag himself dinner with an attractive British girl. She couldn’t be further from Arthur if she was on Pluto. Eames wasn’t jealous, not of Arthur at least, just very perplexed. 

“Arthur’s such a stick in the mud, you know.” Eames chuckled. 

Lex just shrugged. “Well if he really bores me that much, I can crash by your room and we’ll have a jolly time.” She chuckled. “Besides, Arthur isn’t that bad. You just annoy him.” 

Eames faked offence. “Excuse me? Arthur’s the little shit that is physically incapable of having fun!” Eames laughed. “In all honesty, I just assumed Arthur doesn’t have romantic or sexual feelings for anyone. I was on the first job Arthur ever did, and we’ve worked together countless times since that, must’ve been a good nine years ago, if not more. I haven’t once heard him mention or seen him with anyone.” 

Lex grinned. “I must be one special girl, huh?” She chuckled. She rose to her feet and stretched. With a quick glance at the clock, she shrugged her jacket onto her shoulders and grabbed her bag. “Shall we be going?” She suggested. 

Eames smiled politely and held the door open for her. He secretly hoped their little date didn’t go as smoothly as planned, and that she did wind up at his door with a bottle of whiskey and smug grin. 

***  
Arthur was apprehensive to meet Lex. He still hadn’t calmed down from their job, and was running his hands through his hair obsessively. He’d forgotten to slick it back, and now his fringe hung in little curls at the side of his face. Even more annoyingly so, his contacts had been irritating his eyes all day, and he was forced to wear his glasses. Nonetheless, he still wore a very smart, close fitting suit. 

He pushed his glasses up his nose and swapped his weight from one foot to the other. He was stood with his back to a marble pillar, facing the staircase. He wasn’t sure if Lex would recognise him with glasses. They somehow made his face seem softer and brighter, which wasn’t how Arthur wanted to come across. He wanted to be seen as tough, someone cold and in total control. Especially around Eames. 

Eames. His face was softer than Arthur’s and yet everyone knew not to cross him. Maybe it was his muscle and how stern his eyes could be when they glared right through you. Arthur had come to accept that he just wasn’t built to be like Eames, so he had to find new ways to imitate Eames’ style. But he quickly learned he could either be soft, podgy Arthur or cold, heartless Arthur. His thin build and dramatic bone structure left him no in between. 

He saw Lex come down the stairs, wearing a grey dress that clung to her figure and hugged her knees. The dress was cut off in the middle with a belt, a plain black strip of ribbon. The top of the dress formed a heart shape around her breast, he breast bone covered by thin grey lace. With the dress she wore creamy heels. Her ginger hair was cascading over her shoulder, across her body to touch her hip. She smiled when her eyes found Arthur. 

“Hello,” She greeted when she was a few steps away from him. Arthur smiled in return, his ears going a bit pink. 

“You look lovely.” He gushed, glancing down awkwardly before meeting her eyes again. 

Lex blushed and smiled. “Thank you. Anyway, shall we get going?” 

Arthur took her hand and tugged her forwards slightly, walking out of the hotel. He was well aware he’d probably end up handing his jacket over. She hadn’t bought a jacket with her. It wasn’t too cold outside anyway. 

They took a cab to the restaurant, a quaint little place that served traditional Jewish cuisine. He’d been ferreting her out, snooping around her public profiles and getting in touch with friends or friends who knew people that could get him information. With enough searching, he’d learnt she was Jewish, like himself. 

The restaurant was quiet, with just a few couples enjoying the evening together. They were seated by a window, where they could watch the world pass by. Lex’s small grin never once left her face.

“You look so different with glasses on,” She commented, taking a sip of her wine. “Softer. Kinder, even.”

Arthur’s ears turned pink. “I look like a child!” He giggled. He admired the way she leaned forward and raised her eyebrows for a second, before looking back into the golden abyss of his glass. 

“But it works with you.” She took another sip and smiled at him, just as their food arrived. 

The spoke idly about future plans and job prospects, and Arthur agreed to inform her of any job he was taking. They shared stories from their childhood, and it was instantly apparent they were worlds apart. Arthur’s parents had been supportive and encouraging of him, where Lex barely remembers hers. Lex loved hearing about L.A, and wondered how different her life may be if she was American, living under the Hollywood sign, rather than scummy old Luton. Arthur filled her in on what to expect from dreamshare. He told her of the money she could make, the dangers involved and the people she would meet. His words held her captivated. Reality wasn’t enough for her. 

A few glasses of wine later, and she was gone with the wind. Arthur just looked far too delicious sat opposite her, and she’d do anything to get him out of that suit. He paid the bill and helped steady her as she tried to walk in her heels. 

“You’re a bit drunk, are you sure you’ll be up early in time to catch your flight?” Arthur asked once they were in the back of a cab. She slumped sideways and rested her head on his shoulder. 

“Why don’t you stay with me, just in case?” She suggested in an attempt to seduce him.

Arthur laughed heartily, but her offer made him uncomfortable. He felt awful for leading her on in such a way, but Arthur was hoping she’d be gloating to Eames on their flight into Heathrow of how wonderful Arthur really was. 

Arthur supported her as she tried to climb out of the cab, and pulled her waist in close to his to help her get to the elevator. Her arm snaked around his waist, pulling him in to her. Her hair had become messy and seemed to be irritating her, so Arthur did his best to comb it out once they were in the elevator. Her hair slipped through his fingers like butter. 

Her room was on the third floor. He got out with her to help her to her room. Room 352. Her hands were shaking too much to put the keycard in, so he had to take over. Once the door was open, he stepped aside to let her in, hoping she’d just go in without making a fuss. 

Much to his dismay, her fingers wrapped around his tie, pulling him in close. Her breath smelled of alcohol, so strong he could taste the bitterness of it on his tongue. 

“You should stay for a while.” Her voice was low and husky. Their eyes met, and Arthur could see her drunken twinkle. 

“Oh sweetheart, it would be wrong to take advantage of you like this.” He chuckled, but he took her waist anyway and pushed her against the door frame, “Maybe some other time?”

She bit her lip. “You have to kiss me before I let you go.” She teased. Her eyes were dark with lust, and she could feel her need for him growing in the pit of her stomach. 

Arthur smirked and stepped towards her so that their bodies were touching. She raised her shoulders and pushed her chest out instinctively, breathing heavily. Arthur knew exactly how to make her want him. It was a cruel game to be playing on such a lovely girl, but to Arthur, Eames was even lovelier. 

His eyes slid shut and he pressed his lips to her delicately, placing his hands on her waist and pulling her body forwards. She seemed to go weak around him, her whole body giving up and shuddering into his. Her arms wrapped around his neck, craving the feel of his golden skin beneath her milky fingers. She opened one, curious eye and decided she was very much interested in Arthur. His hands explored her sides, feeling the silk of her dress and wondering what it felt like beneath, was it as soft as Eames’ skin? As colourful? 

He broke away at the thought of Mr. Eames. Arthur adored every inch of Eames’ tattooed body, and he couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for touching another in ways he should only touch Eames. But Eames wasn’t his, and he shouldn’t feel so wound up about it. 

“You have an early flight to catch.” He breathed into her lips. Their eyes met again, and the lustful darkness in her bright eyes hadn’t faded. He straightened himself up and ran a hand through his messy hair. “Goodnight, Alexis.” He turned and walked away, before she could rope him into anything else. 

The thought of being intimate with her just didn’t feel right. Arthur was doing this to teach Eames a lesson, to make Eames want him. Only now he was worried he’d dragged himself in too deep, and that her feelings for him and developed too far. He didn’t want anything too serious to begin with, but now he seemed like an option he’d have to take if he wanted to carry on playing his game. 

Lex grinned as she watched him leave. The feeling in the pit of her stomach was slowly starting to ebb away, leaving her at peace. She pulled the keycard from the door, kicking off her heels as she walked into her room. She was too tired to think of Arthur, yet he occupied her mind like a virus occupies a cell. She thought back to what Eames had told her early and smiled triumphantly. She was very special indeed.


	5. Quinze

Thanks to Arthur’s delicate extraction, Eames arrived in London and wasn’t forced onto a second flight by the Mark’s security that they constantly feared. Thankfully, Arthur was careful enough that (as far as they knew) they were in the clear. 

That flight had been so awkward for Eames. The seven-hour flight from New York to London passed painfully slowly. Lex was as smug as the cat who got the cream. Apparently, her dinner with his Arthur went very well. Apparently, he was an excellent kisser and he looked so adorable with his glasses, and oh, he was such a gentlemen. Arthur was going to find her more jobs, she was the best he’d ever seen, he said. (Eames knew that was a lie, they both knew Ariadne was better) Eames forced himself to listen to her endless stream of thoughts on Arthur. 

He was thankful when they went their separate ways, with the promise to keep in touch. Seven hours wasn’t much, but his body needed to catch up with the time lost in the air. His whole face seemed worn down, his youthfulness almost gone. All because Arthur had kissed her, and not him. 

Arthur should’ve been all his. That job should’ve been his chance to show Arthur how much he really cared. And he did, but Arthur was too drunk to notice. Or was he? Eames didn’t want to think about that. Being alone was safer anyway, even if Arthur felt the same, he’d never allow it. Too risky. Eames let himself into his apartment dumping his bags at the door. He wanted to get a dog, but he was rarely home to care for it. Dreamshare came with a crippling loneliness that Eames had learnt to live with. Arthur was the only one who ever made him crave company. He slumped down on his bed and groaned. A bit of proper, genuine sleep wouldn’t go amiss. 

***

Eames received the text from Arthur at exactly three in the afternoon. He was in Italy, wasting the money from his last job on fine wine and expensive clothes. He wasn’t really planning on working for a while, but an offer from Arthur was always tempting. Especially since their last job together was almost five months ago, and he hadn’t heard a word from Arthur, and nobody seemed to know where he was. 

It was possible Arthur was on the run and wasn’t in a safe place to pick up the phone. Eames had been chased across the globe by the Mark’s security, but had managed to shake them off in Tenerife. They seemed to be bored of chasing him by now. Maybe they took more time with Arthur, he was the one who stole the information, after all. 

_’Looking for a job?’_

_‘Sure.’_ Eames replied, holding his phone in his hand whilst he waited desperately for a reply. 

‘ _’Working out of Jakarta, starting two weeks. I’ll send an address in five days.’_

Eames was excited about the job prospect. He’d missed Arthur. He was the focal point of Eames’ life, the epitome of perfection. Eames couldn’t verbally express how he felt about Arthur. If anyone were to ask him, he’d only be able to reply with strange sounds and wavy hand gestures and pink cheeks, maybe a compliment or two. Or he’d lie, and hand out a description of who everyone presumed Arthur was. 

Eames was determined to up his game, to make Arthur fall for him. He didn’t want to do anything that would give an Arthur and excuse to “accidentally” shoot him. Maybe a little retaliation wouldn’t do any harm. He was going to give him the space to make his own mind up about what he wanted, whilst still showing he was immensely interested. At least this time, he wouldn’t have to compete with attractive architects. 

***

Or so he thought. When Eames arrived at the warehouse on the outskirts of Jakarta, the building was empty apart from a certain ginger architect he’d been hoping not to see. His heart sunk, but he forced himself to grin. She was a delectable person, and Eames’ only felt so bitterly towards her because she got to feel Arthur’s lips instead of him. It made sense that she was here, Arthur had promised to help her get jobs and Eames had been helping her forge identities. He wondered who the country thought she was. 

“Mr Eames! Lovely to see you, buddy.” She chuckled, swinging in her office chair. Her smile was broad and cheerful, as if those the last five months and been a ball for her. 

“Alexis, how are you?” He dumped his bag down on an empty desk and slipped his jacket from his shoulder. It was the height of the dry season and the heat was biting him. He was used to spending time in warmer climates, but even this was pushing it a bit. 

“I’m melting.” She chuckled. She stood up and took a few steps towards him. She wore a loose t-shirt that was cut just above her midriff and some very small shorts. She was barefooted, probably in an attempt to keep herself cool. The British were bloody awful when it came to acclimating. “You don’t seem too fussed, where’ve you come from?” She asked, pulling herself up to sit on his desk. 

“Florence, I usually live in Mombasa, though.” He replied. 

He glanced around and noticed the warehouse was void of any other occupants, and the other three desks seemed to be unoccupied. It was unusual for Arthur to not be around, working his head in. Extractors tended to be punctual, too. 

“Where’s everyone else?” He asked.

Lex shrugged. “Dunno. Last I heard Arthur was in Glasgow, trying to get here via the most obscene route possible to throw off any tails he might have. As for the extractor, Felix I think his name was, he fucked off somewhere last night and I haven’t seen him since. We went for drinks.” She replied.

Eames couldn’t help but worry about Arthur. His paranoia must be driving insane him if he was willing to go to Glasgow to shake off security. As for Felix, Eames couldn’t care less. They’d worked together before and Eames had nothing nice to say about the stocky man. He wouldn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. He was a lady-killer at heart. 

“Felix is probably in bed with some girl with bleached blonde hair and gigantic tits,” Eames groaned. “Heard from Arthur much?” He asked. 

She shook her head. “He’d message me occasionally.” She pulled her phone from her pocket. 

_’Hey Lex, find Eames and get him to help you with forge an alias. Don’t text back,’_  
 _’Hi Lex, hope you’re okay. Get to somewhere safe, out of the country. Use an alias. Don’t try and find me. Don’t text back,’_  
 _’I have a job offer. Meet me in Jakarta in two weeks. I’ll send an address in five days. We’re working with Eames again,’_

Strange. Arthur never said ‘hi’. It wasn’t his style. Maybe he was just trying to be friendly. 

“Why didn’t he want me to text back?” She asked. 

“The Mark was giving him grief. He probably didn’t want them finding you. That’s why he wanted you out of the country under a new identity. Where’d you go?” He asked. 

She smirked. “Monte Carlo, thought I’d waste the money and get a bit of sun.” Eames had noticed her skin seemed to be red and her freckles seemed more pronounced. 

“And you caught fire.” He teased. 

She rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t get hot enough in Blighty to burn, so I thought I’d be fine! I went through two whole bottles of sunscreen in two weeks and I still burnt!” She laughed. 

A side door swung open with a loud bang, and in stumbled Arthur, looking worse for wear. His eyes looked tired and grey bags had started showing under his eyes. His shoulders slouched slightly, and he didn’t look anywhere near as proud as he used to. Somehow, his suit was still immaculate. 

“Arthur,” Lex cooed, slipping off Eames’ desk to go to Arthur. Her arm wrapped around his shoulder and he gratefully leant into her. His eyelids fell closed and Eames watched as Arthur allowed himself to be guided. 

“Go get some rest, buddy.” Eames instructed. 

Arthur slumped into an empty office hair and tipped his head back, breathing out loudly. His eyes opened again slowly. “Nope, you two need to catch up. Where’s Felix, the little shit?” 

“Shagging.” Lex stated. 

“Most likely.” Eames added. Arthur just rolled his eyes. 

“Right. We’ll wait a while then.” Arthur sat up properly and toyed with the buttons on his jacket. Eames watched in fascination as the fabric slipped from his shoulders to reveal Arthur’s slender waist, wrapped up tightly in a waistcoat. Arthur’s sense of style, although pretentious and slightly excessive, exaggerated Arthur’s wonderful body. 

“Why did you pick a job with Felix?” Eames asked. 

Arthur shrugged. “Boredom.” 

“You’re never bored.” 

“Well I was, alright? Anyway. Chemist won’t be here until tomorrow. Yusuf.” 

Eames grinned. Yusuf was one of the few people in Dreamshare he’d actually consider a friend. They both lived in Mombasa, and often frequented bars and gambling dens together. He was a greedy cheat but he was lovely enough. He still didn’t trust him, though. 

“Arthur, you look bloody dreadful.” Eames teased. He heard Arthur sigh again. 

“Don’t be mean!” Lex retorted. Eames looked over and watched with bitter jealousy as her hands massaged his shoulders. Arthur’s eyes fell closed and a content smile brought his dimples out. 

Eames rolled his eyes and sat down, deciding he’d rather not watch them go at it. He busied himself with preparing his work place, setting up his laptop and digging out a few biros from his bag. He had a writing pad for taking notes in, and a few files for organising his information. He would be forging two different people, he couldn’t risk getting their different lives confused. He forced the little sounds of contentment that Arthur was making to the back of his head, somehow. 

The side door swung open with a huge banging sound, shaking the whole warehouse. Eames jumped and spun around, rolling his eyes at Felix, who lay on the floor in a splat. His entrance was unsurprising. 

“Nice of you to turn up.” Arthur growled bitterly. He despised those who were late even more than he despised being late himself. Arthur wasn’t expecting an easy job. Not with Eames, Felix and Yusuf. He was expecting a bloody nightmare. 

Felix just picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself down, ignoring Arthur’s comment. He’d learnt it was easier to ignore Arthur than try and argue with him. 

“Where’s Yusuf?” He asked. His accent was always a shock to Eames. Eames always imagined he’d be from somewhere like Texas, judging by appearances alone. He was always shocked when he heard an accent similar to Arthur’s. 

“He’ll be here tomorrow.” Arthur replied. 

Arthur’s voice dragged Felix’s attention his way and onto Lex. His gaze unsettled her, a cold grey stare that seemed to look right into the core of her mind. Lex reminded herself that she would be sharing dreams with this man, and she had to trust him enough to let him inside her head. 

“You two a thing?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lex stepped back a bit. “No, of course not!” She chuckled awkwardly, possibly a bit too defensively. Arthur looked up at her, one quirked eyebrow. She glared back down at him. 

“Just checking.” Felix chuckled, unconvinced. 

***

“Arthur,” Eames started. Arthur didn’t bother to acknowledge he’d heard him. “Arthur, darling,” Eames tried again, earning a glare. “Aren’t you hot?” 

Arthur just shrugged. He was still wearing most of his clothes, his waist coat still tight and his shirt still done up to his throat. He had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, but other than that, he still wore everything he came in with. “Aren’t we all?” 

“Well yeah but some of us are doing more about it than others.” 

Eames glanced over at Lex, who was physically unable to cope with the heat. She’d taken to lying in the back room where it was slightly cooler, or catching the train into Jakarta itself to sit on the seafront where there was a breeze. Right now she was at her desk, slumped over and making stressed, groaning sounds. Somehow, the dreamscapes she’d produced so far had been excellent. 

Arthur just rolled his eyes. “She’s British. They’re not used to it going above, what, 10 degrees?” Lex didn’t even bother retaliating. Her home pride didn’t work in temperatures this high. “Mr. Eames, haven’ you got somewhere to be, right now?” 

Eames glanced at his watch. “Not for another twenty minutes.” He settled down into his chair and watched Arthur intently. 

Arthur could feel Eames’ eyes boring into him. Eames just wanted a rise out of him. Determined not to give in to Eames’ obnoxious stare, he glued his eye to the spreadsheet in front of him and forced himself to carry on. 

“Arthur,” Eames whined, clinging onto the ‘R’. “Arthur stop ignoring me!”

Arthur’s head snapped up instantly. He hated that tone of voice, that annoying, incessant whine. Somehow, Eames made it sound a little cuter than Arthur would like to admit. He scowled at Eames, brows knitted together (determined not to relax as a smile spread across the other’s face.)

“Why don’t you go under for a few minutes to show Lex how multi layered dreams work?” Arthur suggested, turning away. 

Lex looked up. “Wha-?” Her eyes were half closed and she looked exhausted. Eames looked at her with a slight pout. 

“How about it?” He asked. She shrugged and stood up, dragging herself to the back room where the PASIV was. He followed, throwing a cheeky grin Arthur’s way. “Would you be so kind as to choose the song, Arthur?” 

***

The dreamscape could’ve been anywhere in Jakarta, or any other major port of the globe. It was sunny, with a slight breeze sweeping in from the ocean. Cargo ships and cruise liners manoeuvred around each other delicately, whilst smaller tug boats and fishing vessels steered clear. The right docks were populated with luxury yachts, temporary homes of billionaires with more money than sense. The left docks were for the fishermen and the smaller, cheaper boats. 

Lex seemed right at home here. She was wearing a dark blue pleated skirt and a plain white blouse that tucked into her skirt. She was still barefoot though, and her hair was left to hang loosely. She seemed happy and relaxed, cooler. The redness in her skin hadn’t faded, though. She would probably be burnt to a crisp by the end of the job. 

“We’ll be needing a PASIV.” Eames said, his eyes scanning for a suitable place to put one. Lex looked up at him, a little confused. 

He decided the yacht closest to them was theirs. He took her wrist gently between his large fingers and pulled her through the crowds of projections milling around and onto the empty yacht. He took her below deck, where they found a PASIV sat on a very expensive coffee table. He dug around in a draw and found a set of headphones, plugged into an iPod. 

“We can go under whilst we’re already under?” She asked with surprise. Eames just nodded and settled himself down on a cream sofa, allowing himself to enjoy it.

“I’d love a yacht. Do you think we could steal one?” He suggested with a grin.

Lex looked around nervously. She wasn’t even aware this sort of luxury was possible. She wanted to explore the whole boat, but Arthur had only put them under for two and a half minutes. The room was lined with high windows, allowing light to flood the dark room. All the furniture was cream or chocolate brown. There were a few armchairs and sofas and a coffee table by the windows, curved cabinets making a divide between the seating area and dining area. She set herself down next to Eames and swung her legs up onto the plush sofa. 

He could see she was unsure. “Okay. You’re familiar with the concept of a kick, right?” He checked, smiling as she nodded. 

“Never felt one.” She replied. 

“Alright good. This job, we’re going several levels deep, so we’ll need use kicks. We use music to give warnings of incoming kicks.” He explained. 

“Alright, so what do I do now?” She asked. 

“You go down there, have a look around if you want. When you hear music playing, it’ll sound like some distant echo, it means a kick is coming. Arthur’s going to tip your chair topside, which will wake you up.” 

She rubbed her neck and drew her line. “Can I sleep on you?” She asked. Eames chuckled and shrugged. 

“What would Arthur say?” He reminded her, too bitterly. 

She shrugged and sighed. “I don’t care what he says. Arthur’s being a cock. He’s acting like we’re a thing whenever Felix’s around and then whenever I try and act on that he completely brushes me off!” She rested her head on Eames shoulder, burying her face into his neck. 

“Arthur doesn’t know how to deal with human emotions. He’s a Vulcan, and a cock,” His fingers slipped under her chin, turning her face to look at him. Her green-brown eyes met his grey ones and he smirked. “Why do you even try with him?” Eames asked softly. He should probably ask himself the same question. 

“He’s got a pretty face or something along those lines. I don’t know.” She mumbled in return, leaning forward to mouth at his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth. 

Eames cupped her cheek, surprised at how small she felt compared to him. He pressed his lips onto hers gently, placing his hand on the back of her head to pull her closer. Their lips didn’t fit together, creating a messy and rushed kiss. It was enough to lash out at Arthur. Eames would make sure he flirted with her to the max, showered her with endless affection and made Arthur as uncomfortable as possible. 

She pulled away from him quickly. “We probably don’t have much time.” She sighed, biting her lip nervously. Eames felt a surge of possessiveness, spotting some vulnerable, kitten-like characteristic within her. She was a woman who wanted to be loved, but was too afraid to take risks. Eames let her go and leant back to give her some space, but she leant forwards again anyway to place her head on his chest. 

“What am I going to hear?” She asked. Eames shrugged. 

“What would you like to hear?” He handed her the iPod, which was now an exact replica of his own. She flipped through, nodding her head in approval occasionally. 

“Anything by The Killers. They’ll do.” She handed it back and lay down, extending her line. She struggled with it for a moment or two, before Eames took over. “Thanks,” She mumbled, her cheeks going a shade redder. 

***

 _’You gotta know that this is real baby, why you wanna fight it? It’s the one thing you can choose.’_  
Lex jerked awake in the warehouse, her whole body shaken by the effect of the kick. She felt as though she’d fallen and landed hard in the chair. She often felt that when she slept, actually slept. She tried to push the paranoia to the back of her mind and looked across at Eames, who was waking up peacefully. She smiled shyly at him, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment. 

“So you understand musical cues and kicks now?” Arthur checked, drawing her line from her arm. He packed the PASIV up and crouched down in front of her. 

“Yeah, yeah I get it now. So one person stays behind each layer to warn everyone in the next layer a kick is coming?” She asked. 

Arthur shrugged. “Depends on the strength of the sedative.” 

She wasn’t even going to bother asking what that meant. She was too confused. Did Eames kiss her because he seriously wanted to or because Arthur’s a cock? She watched Arthur as he packed away the headphone sets, then her gaze drifted across to Eames, who showed no signs of getting up. He was grinning leisurely at her. 

“We should steal a yacht, you and me. One all to ourselves. Think of all the fun we’d have. We wouldn’t have to hide out in horrible shitholes all the time,” He glanced quickly at Arthur (not quick enough for Arthur to miss). “Or put up with Vulcan dicks.” He winked at her and pulled himself to his feet, flashing a cheeky grin at Arthur. 

Arthur’s eyes followed him out, before he turned on Lex. “What the Hell happened down there?” He asked. 

She stood, straightened herself off and held her head high. Arthur was being a cock, she reminded herself. “He may or may not have kissed me.” 

She left before she could catch Arthur’s face turning sickly white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics credit: Runaways by The Killers.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. I don't know what to think of this. Anyway, inspired by This Means War. Please enjoy. -Christian. xo


End file.
